Tempo of the City: I. Fifth Avenue and 44th Street, Manhattan.

by Berenice Abbott

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Artist Statement

We find ourselves returning to Berenice Abbott’s Changing New York series again and again, not only because it’s an extensive collection of compelling photographs of our native habitat, but because the images are at once incredibly familiar and indicative of just how much this city has changed and will continue to. When Abbott composed this shot of 1930s Manhattan on Fifth Avenue and 44th, she gave the clock a starring role. It bisects the image, towering over the coat-clad passerbys bustling about below, its stately face almost godlike—an all-seeing eye. It’s a reminder of the never ending flow of time, despite the moments artists like Abbott froze on film.

Details

+ Limited-edition, exclusive to 20x200
+ Museum quality: archival inks, 100% cotton rag paper unless noted
+ Handcrafted custom-framing is available

Our quoted dimensions are for the size of paper containing the images, not the printed image itself. We do not alter the aspect ratio, nor do we crop or resize the artists’ originals. All of our prints have a minimum border of .5 inches to allow for framing.

Medium:

Innova Fibaprint Warm Cotton Gloss

Edition Structure:
8"x8" | edition of 20 
11"x11" | edition of 250
16"x16" | edition of 50
24"x24" | edition of 10

Berenice Abbott

Berenice Abbott was an American photographer best known for her black and white photography of New York City architecture and urban design of the 1930s. Abbott was born in Springfield, Ohio. She attended the Ohio State University, but left in early 1918. Abbott went to Europe in 1921, spending two years studying sculpture in Paris and Berlin. In addition to her work in the visual arts, Abbott published poetry in the experimental literary journal transition. Abbott first became involved with photography in 1923, when Man Ray, looking for somebody who knew nothing about photography and thus would do as he... Read More
said, hired her as a darkroom assistant at his portrait studio in Montparnasse. In 1926, she had her first solo exhibition (in the gallery Au Sacre du Printemps) and started her own studio on the rue du Bac. In early 1929, Abbott visited New York and was struck by its photographic potential. She moved to the city and began work on her New York project, which she worked on independently until 1935, when she was hired by the Federal Art Project as a project supervisor for her Changing New York project. She continued to take the photographs of the city, but she had assistants to help her both in the field and in the office. This arrangement allowed Abbott to devote all her time to producing, printing and exhibiting her photographs. By the time she resigned from the FAP in 1939, she had produced 305 photographs that were then deposited at the Museum of the City of New York.
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